It is always daft to have a pissing contest over how great someone is. Here is my opinion, and remember, you are all entitled to my opinion!
I was in a flat in Glasgow when, late at night, a channel put on live music. At that point, I only really listened to The Stranglers and Genesis and had started playing bass in a band for a laugh. The height of bass was JJ and Foxton with their great, driving, thunderous bottom lines that drove songs on.
It was Shadows and Light by Joni Mitchell. Not really my scene but as the evening progressed, I drifted closer and closer to the telly and further from the beer. I was hypnotised by the tic-a-tac and low smears. The lack of slavish root note playing and the way that everything served to make the song better enthralled me. This was the early to mid eighties and there was no easy way off finding out who he was. Eventually I ordered a Japanese import of the record at great cost. I think an album was about £4 and this was £16!
Whatever anyone thinks about him, he is one of the few musicians ever to sear himself on my life from one performance.